mmslfandomcom-20200215-history
Emily Neutron
Emily Darah Neutron was born and raised in Hull. Her parents are Danjuma (Dan) and Esreen (Esri) Neutron. Dan was born a Squib, and lives as a Muggle. As a clasiicaly-trained violinist, he is First Violin for the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra, and has played with orchestras all over the world. He is Music Director for the Glyndebourne Music Festival and also plays traditional Fulani instruments from West Africa. Esri, a Muggle, teaches ballet and has been a dancer herself in various productions, including in London. Though they have never been particularly wealthy, they have lived comfortably in Hull, and have managed to send Emily to her grandparents in Senegal, West Africa for a number of summer holidays to keep her fully in touch with her Fulani roots. NOTE: Much of the information here will not be IC known by the student body at large, or even by close friends. Please do not use the contents of this page IC unless you have learned this information IC. Family History and Life Before Hogwarts Emily's father, Dan, was born in Senegal as Danjuma Abdulaziz Ntonu dan Baje. His father is Shehu Baje Ntonu dan Sanusi; his mother is Darah Talatu Ntonu bint Usman. Dan is a Squib, but until recently was not aware of his heritage. After his birth, Dan's parents decided to move to England to allow him a relatively normal upbringing as a Muggle, rather than as a disabled person in the magical community in their native Senegal. They even changed their surnames to Neutron to sound more British, so that Dan would fit in better. Dan met Esri Barakat (a Muggle: her father a Fulani immigrant, her mother an Iraqi Kurd) in college; they married a few years later, and carried on their musical and dance careers. Dan's parents returned to Senegal when he went to college, and live there today. Emily's birth changed everything for the Neutron family: she was born blind. This was not the result of any medical condition. Instead, it came about due to a powerful curse placed on the Ntonu family centuries ago by a dark Wizard. The daughters of the Ntonu line were cursed to be born able to either speak or to see, but not to do both (there is a long story as to why, involving the too-clever seven-year-old daughter of the Ntonu clan leader who caught the dark Wizard attempting to pilfer valuables while a guest). It had been hoped that Dan's status as a Squib might have prevented his children from being affected by the curse, but Emily's birth proved otherwise. Emily's aunt Yacine is the only other Ntonu currently afflicted by the curse, and is mute. Yacine is seven years older than Emily, and successfully graduated from Uagadou despite her disability. The ancient Dark Wizard who cast the curse on the Ntonu family claimed to be Dejema, renowned as the most powerful African sorcerer in history. It is possible that he was merely an imposter; either way, he was an exceedingly powerful Dark Wizard, comparable to Grindlewald. The Ntonu clan later defeated the dark wizard, cleansing West Africa of a great scourge. Ntonu women who bear the curse are greatly respected by the Ntonu and throughout the African Wizarding community for the sacrifice forced on them. When she was six years old, Emily's grandparents visited the family in Hull, and determined that she had been afflicted by the curse. This was when it was revealed to the family what their heritage truly was. The curse on Emily cannot be lifted. It has been with the family for so long that destroying it would likely also destroy the family. However, about the time Emily turned 11, her grandfather, partnering with the Healers at St. Mungo's, fashioned a pair of glasses that allow her to see. They do not, however, allay the curse. They merely change the expression of the curse on her: when wearing her glasses, Emily cannot speak. She can only speak when she removes them. Removing her glasses and putting them on disturbs the curse, and so is very difficult to do. She dares to take them on and off no more than a couple times per day. Emily must travel to St. Mungo's about once a year to have the glasses replaced, as the charms within them are worn down by the curse. Having spent so much of her life blind, Emily is adept at memorizing locations and layouts of rooms so that she may navigate without sight. She has memorized the hallways of Hogwarts as best she can, though she may often be found asking portraits about the newest configuration of stairs (which, of course, like to change). Even without her glasses, she is able to get around the girls' dormitory and common room without any fuss so long as other students do not move the furniture around too much. At Hogwarts During the battle against the Inferi in the Spring of 2023, Emily took to the front line of the battle, firing Bombardas at the undead from point-blank range. Staying by Professor Green's side, she managed to battle her way through the Grand Staircase, the Clock Tower, the courtyard, the bridge, all the way down to the lake and back up to the Transfiguration Corridor and courtyard. Afterward, she was in the group that went to confront the Shadow (also known as Ironhand). In the Fall of 2024, she ventured into the Acromantula caves with other students to rescue a missing student. The grouped fought a massive Acromantula; Emily ultimately was the one who killed it. Later in that academic year, in Spring 2025, Emily started writing for the Owl Post. She writes a monthly article on portraits that can be found in the Halls of Hogwarts. Given that she spends so much of her time blind, this presents a unique challenge, as she interviews each portrait for her articles. The interviews must be done without glasses, but the scouting and identification of the portrait to be interviewed is typically done with glasses on, or with the help of a normally sighted friend. She has also started writing other articles, such as an analysis of the recent reinstatement of the Werewolf Registry. Emily proudly wears her werewolf button in solidarity with those poor, persecuted people who just happen to be incidentally quite deadly. Special Abilities and Skills Emily is a virtuoso piano player. Her specialty is classical music; she is particularly fond of Bach, Chopin and Beethoven. At age eight, she started playing as a soloist with the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra. At nine, she played with the Hull Sinfonietta. At ten and eleven, she played to audiences in London with the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic. Her musical career has been somewhat stunted by her admission to Hogwarts, though not entirely curtailed. In the summer of 2022 she played the Glyndebourne Music Festival. In the summer of 2023 she was invited to play program of Mozart in Vienna as a soloist with the Vienna Philharmonic; she also played a program of Bartok at Suntory Hall in Tokyo with the Japan Philharmonic. In Summer 2024 she toured central Europe, playing in such locations as Budapest, Hungary; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Grafenegg in Austria. She continues to have bookings (usually in Muggle concert halls) in the school year, and is coming into demand as an interpreter of Bartok, Berg and Debussy (along with more euphonic composers, such as Mozart, Chopin and Beethoven). She did learn some dance from her mother, but she is nowhere near as graceful (and is keenly aware of that). When wearing her glasses, Emily is unable to cast spells, and will be unable to do so until she can cast nonverbally. With her glasses off, she is a formidable spellcaster for her year, proving to be quite gifted at charms, alchemy and other arcane parts of magic. Appearance Emily is medium height for her age, and slender, like the rest of the Ntonu (and the Fulani). She has the dark skin of her Fulani forebears, with even darker freckles on her face. Her hair is black, but not quite as thick as the rest of the Ntonu, owing to her Kurdish heritage. When out of uniform, she often wears garishly-colored clothes, the more colors the better. If she is not wearing her glasses, her eyes do not focus, and she will seem to stare blankly into space. Emily's glasses are incredibly thick. If she is wearing them, she will be unnaturally quiet. Personality It cannot be truly said that Emily is overly outgoing, usually exhibiting shyness more than anything else when she first meets people. However, she is very kind, and usually described by those who know her as sweet. She has a definite acerbic streak, which extends to her sense of humor. She can be exceptionally strong-willed, willing to charge off to fight Inferi or other dangerous creatures when needed, or stand up and perform difficult piano pieces before international audiences in some of the world's greatest concert halls. She can also be plain old stubborn, which can annoy those closest to her. Emily is hard-working and studious, as well as whip-smart: the very picture of a Ravenclaw. Relationships Friends Essa Nazari: Emily's best friend, they have been inseparable since meeting at Diagon Alley right before going to Hogwarts. The girls spent summers together after First and Second Years. In many ways they are opposites: Emily is studious, where Essa's natural tendency is to avoid schoolwork. Emily lives for classical music... Essa falls asleep during concerts. Emily was quick to embrace the Wizarding world, where Essa kind of has to be dragged along kicking and screaming. Emily and Essa are both in Ravenclaw house, in the same year. Upton Zero: Emily is fond of Zero; he considers her more like a kid sister. He occasionally takes her on wild adventures, like fishing under the bridge after curfew. They have also participated in various extra-curricular groups, sometimes not particularly sanctioned by the Hogwarts administration. Cassandra Middles: as with Zero, Emily and Cassie have participated in some of the same (sometimes very non-sanctioned) extra-curricular activities. Cassie has also helped Emily adapt her spellcasting to accommodate her blindness. Aisling Jones: always good for sharing a good joke, or for help getting to and from places outside the castle, where Emily can so easily get lost without her glasses. Raven Stormborn Hope Dansby Category:Ravenclaws Category:Students